We Heart Music

PICTURING PRINCE sees the late icon's former art director, STEVE PARKE, revealing stunning intimate photographs of the singer from his time working at Paisley Park. At least half of the images in the book are exclusively published here for the first time; most other images in the book are rare to the public eye.

Alongside these remarkable images are fifty engaging, poignant and often funny written vignettes by Parke, which reveal the very human man behind the reclusive superstar: from shooting hoops to renting out movie theatres at 4am; from midnight requests for camels to meaningful conversations that shed light on Prince as a man and artist.

STEVE PARKE started working with Prince in 1988, after a mutual friend showed Prince some of Steve's photorealistic paintings. He designed everything from album covers and merchandise to sets for Prince's tours and videos. Somewhere in all of this, he became Paisley Park's official art director. He began photographing Prince at the request of the star himself, and continued to do so for the next several years. The images in this book are the arresting result of this collaboration.

The two big shows on this date will be the Prince Tribute Concert (featuring Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan) at Xcel Energy Center and Sia at Target Center. ‚Ä¶

‚ÄúIn the early morning when I'm feeling nice, I walk by the mirror and kiss it twice‚Äù ‚ÄîPrince, ‚ÄòPrettyman‚Äô

As one of the most recognizable and photogenic musical icons ever, the late great Purple One has been the subject of thousands of photographs, but with his untimely death, even more of these have started to see the light of day. Picturing Prince: An Intimate Portrait (Cassell Books) is a new volume by Steve Parke, the esteemed digital illustrator, photographer, and one time Art Director at Paisley Park that reveals a different side of musician, and its release was celebrated at a recent public discussion/signing with NPG band member Morris Hayes in Edina.

The 200+pg book includes numerous photographs that have never before been seen and also finds the Baltimore-based Parke reminiscing about his time working for Prince in stories that are touching, funny, and displaying of a more human side of the icon. Parke began working for Prince in 1988 and became Art Director for a decade and a half, before leaving after the birth of his son and increasingly unpredictable work schedule, made him change his priorities.

Hayes began by asking Parke how he began working with Prince, hired by Alan Leeds to help design the ‚ÄòGlam Slam‚Äô video set, after a friend had seen some of Parke‚Äôs paintings. Parke came on board at the advent of digital artwork (Photoshop, Quark) and photography, and was allowed to learn while working for Prince, on the fly, helping craft the musician‚Äôs visual image as the late ‚Äò80s gave way to the early ‚Äò90s.

Parke learned very early on, that Prince would be very hands-on with his participation and overseeing of all projects, that no response from Prince was a sign to keep going, and that he always encouraged pushing the creative envelope as far as possible.

Hayes spoke about Prince often renting out movie theaters and bowling halls for the band after shows, and Prince after watching everyone else bowl, then managing to show everyone else up, with skills simply learned by observation. As evidenced in the book, the nearby Arboretum in Chanhassen was a favorite place for Prince to be, able to relax and reflect there, more so than back in the business confines of Paisley Park.

Parke was also partially responsible for changing the look of Paisley Park, from a sterile studio complex to a building that better reflected Prince‚Äôs personality by adding images, graffiti, and paintings to several of the recording rooms.

Hayes told a story about Steve Vai giving a new signature seven-string guitar to him to present to Prince, as Prince was one of Vai‚Äôs guitar heroes, but Prince was unfazed, remarking, ‚ÄúI can do what I need to do with six (strings)‚Äù.

Both also spoke of Prince‚Äôs work ethic (‚Äúhe‚Äôs the hardest working person I‚Äôve ever met‚Äù Parke said) and his uncanny ability to see the most minute detail, whether it was in an angle of a photograph or able to pick out an off half-note played by one of many horn players.

The photos in the book (most being portraits as the few ‚Äúlive‚Äù shots were actually paused and posed for) give additional inside insight to a man most thought to be mysterious and private, to be warm, funny and a creative individual that was undoubtedly, one of a kind.

Picturing Prince: An Intimate Portrait is in bookstores everywhere now and online at Amazon and elsewhere.